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I'm not sure if I can even stand to hear myself complain about the end of summer, yet again, but as it's only September and I've had to turn the heating on once or twice already to defrost my fingers and get work done, I'm sure you can tell that I really want to.

But counteracting a negative with a positive, I feel so incredibly lucky to have friends who invite me in to their family homes and make me feel welcome. Living so far away from my own family, my heart aches sometimes to feel like I belong amongst a group of people - and there's no better way to feel a sense of belonging than when people make you so completely welcome in their homes.

A few weeks ago Tania organised a trip for us to go and visit her boyfriend's family just a short drive West from London - maybe about an hour or so from Bristol I think? We spent a whole four days hanging out with Michael's awesome cousin, eating toast, going for walks with the dogs, swimming in rivers and playing the world's stupidest but (also my favourite) card game called gubs.

I don't think any of us realised then that that would be the last weekend of summer. The last outdoor bonfire where we didn't need coats, the list river swim, the last humid evening sunset, and the last of that golden summer light.

Of course each season has it's magic, and autumn is a second to summer on my list of favourites, but I do dread winter in London - so I'll be holding these memories close for the foreseeable future, and bringing them to mind when my fingers go completely numb in a few months time.